When you close your mouth, your teeth are supposed to come together evenly. When they don’t, it causes excess stress on your teeth, jawbone, jaw joints and muscles. Bruxism, which involves you clenching grinding your teeth, can magnify the problem.

Fortunately, an occlusal adjustment can help correct this problem. An occlusal adjustment is done to help correct the alignment of your bite. The procedure involves reshaping your teeth with a dental drill, removing interferences. These interferences can keep your teeth from coming together, and can also prevent your jaw from automatically closing into the correct position. When your jaw isn’t able to close into its anatomical position, the muscles in your jaw and neck are never able to fully relax, resulting in headaches, neck aches and toothaches. Many patients also develop bruxism because their jaw is seeking the correct bite alignment. Bite guards can help patients with bruxism by protecting their teeth and TMJ (jaw joint).

Bite guards, also called occlusal guards, are important for people that grind their teeth at night. Bite guards can also be useful to protect dental work, decrease symptoms, allow jaw alignment and act as a guide for occlusal adjustments. Patients that grind and clench their teeth may cause:

Wear, fractures or chipping of teeth

Bone and gum recession

Loose or shifting teeth

Damage to dental bridges or dental implants

Sensitive areas on teeth or gums

Worsening of gum disease

Sore muscles, headaches and noises when opening or closing your mouth

If you’re interested in learning more about dental implants, contact Dr. Wetzel in Camp Hill, PA at 717-761-8611 to schedule an appointment today or visit our website at www.wetzelperio.com for more information.

Dr. Wetzel proudly welcomes patients from New Cumberland, Harrisburg, York and Carlisle and all surrounding areas.